Apparatus for coring a crab body



Feb. 17, 1970 'r. s. REINKE APPARATUS FOR CORING A CRAB BODY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30, 1967 INVENTOR THEODORE S REINKE Jam/aw). Wm Jau'n/mw/u w ATTORNEYS Feb. 17, 1970 1. sh REINKE APPARATUS FOR CORING A CRAB BODY I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 30, 1967 SOLENO'D SOLENOID Sw ITCH SWITCH SOLENOID INVENTOR THEODORE S- REINKE Mme/L ZM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,495,294 APPARATUS FOR CURING A CRAB BODY Theodore S. Reinke, P.0. Box 335, Cambridge, Md. 21613 Filed June 30, 1967, Ser. No. 650,371

Int. Cl. A22c 29/00 US. CI. 17-54 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to improved apparatus for severing from a crab body a central core portion the width of which is a function of crab thickness.

In the patented prior art, various means have been proposed for severing from a precooked crab body a core portion the size of which varies in accordance with a given dimension of the crab, whereby the quantity of usable crab meat contained in the core is a maximum. One parameter previously used as a basis for measurement is the back fin spacing distance. Another parameter proposed for controlling the size of the severed core is the overall maximum width of the crab body. The present invention is based on the discovery that the optimum usable Width of a crab core is a function of the vertical thickness of the body. Since it is a relatively simple procedure to measure the thickness of a longitudinally transported crab body, apparatus based on the above discovery may be less expensive and operable at a higher production speed to accurately sever crab cores of maximum usable size. Furthermore, owing to the particular measurement involved, improved apparatus may be used including solenoid means for incrementally varying the spacing distance between a pair of crab core severing disks, thereby improving the reliability and speed of automatic adjustment of the system.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide crab core severing apparatus including, in combination, conveyor means for conveying the crab body along a horizontal linear path, detector means for detecting the vertical thickness of the crab body, and adjustable severing means operable by said detector means to sever from the crab body a central core portion the width of which is a function of crab thickness. In ac cordance with an important feature of the invention, linkage means are provided for symmetrically adjusting a pair of axially adjustable severing disks relative to the vertical plane passing bet-ween the disks and containing the linear path of travel of the crab bodies, so that a uni- 7 ICC connecting the voltage source from the solenoid means, whereby return of the disks to their normal initial position is positively assured.

In the alternative, a single switch actuator may be provided for selectively energizing one or more solenoids to vary the distance between spaced severing disks as a function of crab body thickness.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are top plan and side elevation views, respectively, of the crab body coring apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the discharge (left-hand) end of the apapratus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2, illustrating the control means for varying the spacing between the rotary cutter disks; and

FIGS. 57 are detailed views of the switch actuator means, the core removal means, and the crab body carrier means, respectively.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the crab coring apparatus includes generally a stationary frame 2 supporting an endless conveyor 4 for conveying crab bodies from a loading station 6 successively past a shell removal station 8, a cleaning station 10, a crab body thickness detecting station 12, a core severing station 14, and a core removal station 16.

The endless conveyor 4 comprises an endless sprocket chain driven at one end by motor 18 and chain 20 and including an upper run supported by a horizontal table 22. Secured at longitudinally spaced intervals along the conveyor are a plurality of crab body saddles 24 formed of sheet metal material and havnig the configuration shown in FIGS. 5-7. At the forward end, the carrier includes a pair of spaced reversely bent strip portions 24a adapted to engage the back end of the crab body. Adjacent its rear end, the carrier includes a pair of serrated pins 26 adapted to impale the under surface of the crab and thereby secure the crab body onto the carrier. Beneath the endless belt, and driven therewith by sprocket chain 28, is an endless refuse belt 30 for receiving crab body waste particles. Inwardly directed plates 32, 34 define a gravity discharge chute for directing the waste particles onto the refuse belt 30.

Following loading of the cooked crab bodies 36 on the carrier 24 at the loading station 6, the crab bodies are conveyed to the shell removal station 8, at which the central portion of the shell is longitudinally scored by rotary first cutter means 38 driven by motor 40 via belt 42. The rotary cutter means 38 comprises a pair of narrowly spaced rigidly-connected cutter disks 38a the peripheries of which are spaced a given distance above the path of travel of the carriers 24. The scored crab bodies are conveyed to the stationary shell removal finger 44 which removes the scored shell portion, whereupon the exposed core portion is cleaned by rotary brushes 46 and water spray 48 during transport of the crab body past the cleaning station 10.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the cleaned crab body is then transported to the thickness detecting station 12 which includes a plurality of feeler or switch actuator members 50, 52 and 54 centrally arranged longitudinally relative to, and incrementally spaced vertically above, the

linear path of travel of the upper run of the conveyor. As shown in FIG. 5, the switch actuators 50, 52 and 54 control the operation of normally open switches 56, 58 and 60 to energize the normally de-energized solenoids 62, 64 and 66, respectively. It will be apparent that the solenoids are selectively energized by the actuators, respectively, as a function of the thickness of the exposed central portion of the crab body core.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, the solenoids are arranged at the core severing station 14 for varying the spacing distance between a pair of axially adjustable cutter disks 70, '72 as a function of the thickness of the crab body. The solenoid plungers are connected with a plate 74 secured to shaft 76 journalled in fixed bearings, said shaft being connected with a parallel rotatably mounted shaft 78 via linkage means including crank arms 80 and 82 and connecting link 84. The link 84 is so connected that shafts 76 and 78 are rotated in opposite directions upon pivotal movement of the plate 74 by the solenoids. At their other ends, the shafts extend through openings in fixed channel plates 86, 88 connected with the frame 2, said shafts being connected with the adjacent arms 90-, 92 of parallelogram means including a pair of axially adjustable bearing supports 94 and 96. Leaf springs 98 and 100 bias bearing supports toward each other so that the colinearly arranged shafts 102 and 104 rotatably supported thereby normally place disks 70 and 72 in the initial axially spaced condition illustrated in solid lines. Owing to the parallel identical arms 90, 99a and 92, 92a of the parallelogram means, bearings supports 94 and 9-6 and shafts 162 and 104 are always maintained horizontal and colinear relative to each other upon pivotal movement of plate 74 and rotational movement of shafts '76, 78. Shafts 102 and 104 are continuously driven from motors 106 and 108 via belt 110, 112 and pulleys 114, 116, respectively. Consequently, when actuators 50, 52 and 54 are operated to selectively close switches 56, 58 and 60 to energize solenoids '62, 64 and 66, respectively, disks 70 and 72 are incrementally displaced apart against the spring biasing forces to the positions a, b and c, respectively, illustrated in FIG. 3, thereby increasing the width of the center core portion severed from the crab body. The severed ends of the body are deposited as scrap upon the refuse belt 30.

The remaining central core portion of the crab body is transported around the discharge end of conveyor 4 to the removal station 16, whereupon the free end of the stationary tongue 120 extends between the spaced strip portions 24a and engages the adjacent surface of the carrier to remove the core portion for deposition upon the belt 30 and subsequent manual removal by an inspector.

As shown in FIG. 3 the shaft 122 of the supporting drum at the discharge end of belt 30 carries a earn 124 that periodically opens a normally closed main switch 126. This main switch 126 is connected in series with voltage source 128 (FIG. and is periodically operable to insure periodic de-energization of the solenoids for spring-biased return of the cutter disks 70, 72 to their normal positions illustrated by the solid lines in FIG. 3. Consequently, regardless of that one of the solenoids that is engaged by the feeler means in accordance with the thickness of the crab body, the solenoids will all be periodically de-energized by the cam-operated switch 126.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the three switch actuator means may be replaced by a single actuator for selectively energizing the solenoids as a function of crab body thickness.

While in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have illustrated and described the preferred form and embodiment of the invention now known to me. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the apparatus described without deviating from the invention set forth in following claims.

4 What is claimed is: 1. Apparatus for severing from a crab body a central core portion, comprising conveyor means for transporting a crab body longitudinally in centered relation along a linear horizontal path contained in a given vertical plane;

rotary cutter means adjacent said conveyor means for severing from the crab body a central core portion, said cutter means comprising a pair of spaced colinearly-arranged axially-adjustable cutter disks parallel with and arranged respectively on opposite sides of the said vertical plane; and control means responsive to the thickness of said crab body for simultaneously adjusting the disks axially and equally in opposite directions relative to said vertical plane to vary the spacing distance be tween said disks, whereby the width of said central core portion is a function of the thickness of the crab body.

Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means further includes linkage means connecting said disks for simultaneous equal axial movement relative to said vertical plane.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said rotary cutter means comprises a pair of rotatably driven shafts connected with said disks, respectively, and a pair of axially adjustable bearing means rotatably supporting said shafts, respectively; and further wherein said control means comprises a pair of parallelogram means connecting said bearing means with said linkage means, respectively.

4. Apparatus for severing from a crab body a central core portion, comprising a conveyor means for transporting a crabbody longi- 'mdinally in a centered relation along a linear horizontal path contained in a given vertical plane;

rotary cutter means adjacent said conveyor means for severing from the crab body a central core portion, said cutter means comprising a pair of spaced axiallyadjustable cutter disks parallel with and arranged respectively on opposite sides of the said vertical plane, and means biasing said disks axially toward each other;

and control means responsive to the thickness of said crab body for simultaneously adjusting the disks axially and equally in opposite directions relative to said vertical plane to vary the spacing distance between said disks, said control means ineluding normally de-energized solenoid means operable to move said disks apart against the restoring force of said biasing means.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said solenoid means comprises a plurality of solenoids selectively operable to increase by predetermined increments the spacing distance between said disks.

-6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said control means includes also switch means for selectively energizing said solenoids, respectively, and stationary actuator means arranged in said vertical plane above and spaced from said conveyor means for sensing the thickness of a crab body transported by said conveyor means, said actuator means being operable to actuate said switch means and said solenoid means to vary the disk spacing distance as a function of crab thickness.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said conveyor means comprises an endless conveyor the upper run of which defines said linear path, and further including a plurality of crab body carriers secured to said endless conveyor, each of said carriers including impaling means by which said crab body is retained on said endless convveyor.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, and further including shell removal means adjacent said endless conveyor for removing the central upper shell portion of a crab body mounted on one of said carriers prior to engagement by said actuator means.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8, and further includ ing cleaning means arranged between said shell removal means and said actuator means for cleaning the crab body following removal of the shell.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, and further including cam-operated switch means driven together with said conveyor means for de-energizing periodically said solenoid means.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

